Problems with Flint, Michigan’s water supply began when the city of 100,000 people began using drinking water from the nearby Flint River in April 2014 instead of its original, purer source, Lake Huron. This decision was made largely by Gov. Rick Snyder in an attempt to cut costs during the city’s budget crisis.

When the city began using water from the Flint River, residents complained of the water’s strange smell and taste. A local General Motors plant even switched back to Lake Huron’s water due to the water from Flint River causing parts to rust. Despite the corrosion, officials continued to reassure residents of Flint that the water was safe for drinking.

After receiving many complaints about the water’s smell and taste, the state government decided to switch the city’s main water source back to Lake Huron in October of 2014. However, this change came too late as signs of the contaminated water’s damage appeared in numerous ways before and after the switch. Many pipelines across the city and in people’s homes had been corroded due to the water’s high lead content. Physicians also saw a huge spike in Legionnaire’s disease, a severe form of pneumonia, in residents of Flint due to the high lead levels.

The state’s environmental department has received a majority of the blame because they failed to properly treat the river in order for it to be an adequate water source for Flint. According to CNN, this purification system would have cost the city $100 each day, which was not optimal for Flint, especially during an economic crisis. However, this does not rationalize the apathy of Michigan’s government. On Saturday, President Obama issued a state of emergency and sent members of the National Guard to help distribute drinking water. In October, Gov. Snyder released a $12 million plan to help reverse the damage done by the contaminated water.

This issue has become more than a health related one. Government on the local, state, and federal levels repeatedly ignored complaints and signs of danger due to use of this contaminated water. Many believe that this is because 57% of residents are African American and more than 41% of residents live beneath the poverty line. This national issue was discussed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sec. of State Hillary Clinton at Saturday’s Democratic debate. Both candidates were outraged that this issue had been ignored by the state of Michigan.